To much fanfare (and terror, I might add), Make Up For Ever recently launched their UltraHD foundation. Designed with 4K technology in mind, the new UltraHD foundation is intended to be completely invisible under the latest, ultra-magnified resolution while looking natural on camera and in person.
Now, I said this was met with terror, and I meant it – there are a LOT of people out there that swore up and down that Make Up For Ever HD foundation was their holy grail. With the new launch of UltraHD, it’s totally wiped out their range of HD foundation. Despite wanting to try it, I had never gotten around to trying the HD foundation, so I have nothing to compare it against except other foundations in my collection.
As is typical for a foundation, it comes with 30 ml (1 fluid ounce) of product and will cost you $50 CAD. The new liquid range comes in a whopping 40 shades! Is there another range of foundations out there that comes in that many shades? (If there is, educate me!) That seems ENORMOUS to me. Kudos to Make Up For Ever for appreciating the fact that there’s a lot more than 10 shades of skin out there!
The liquid foundation has light to medium coverage and is buildable.
And, blissfully, it comes with a pump. <3
I wasn’t even expecting it, but the UltraHD range also comes in a cream stick formula as well. It’ll also set you back $50, but there are only 15 shades in this formula. It comes up a little short on the product side with 12.5g (0.44 ounces).
The UltraHD stick foundation provides medium to full coverage.
I was colour matched to Y225 which is apparently shade 117 in the original HD formula. (For reference, I am typically colour matched to NW20 in MAC shades.) There is a very definite difference between the same colour in the two different formulas though. On the left is the stick foundation in Y225 and it is definitely leaning more pink than the Y225 in the liquid formula on the right.
A handy thing (or so I thought) was that each bottle tells you what the current shade of the foundation is called (in this case, the real name is Y225), but it also tells you that if you were 117 in the HD foundation, then Y225 would be your shade in the new lineup. However… the shades don’t quite line up that well. Chelsea of Olive & Ivy has a comparison of the previous HD shades in her review here and the colours do not line up exactly with the previous line. So definitely make sure you get colour matched for this!
Anyway, on to the actual product. The liquid foundation feels incredibly lightweight. It’s one of the most comfortable foundations I’ve ever worn, which makes it an absolute pleasure to wear. It does look good on camera (as seen above) but it doesn’t cover everything on my face – my freckles are definitely still shining through after a first layer. I’d never add a second layer of foundation since I don’t like the feeling of it, but I imagine you could build it up to a thicker opacity.
With the stick foundation, it’s definitely creamier and thicker. It evens out my skin tone, but again, my freckles are still showing through although I do feel they’re a bit better covered up with the stick.
Final Thoughts
Edit 2016/01/07: Please read after my original summary below for another take on this foundation during a different season.
I’m having a tough time writing this review because I do really like the feel of the foundation. I love how it looks on my skin in person and how it appears on camera. It’s incredibly easy to apply (in both formulas) and blends into the skin seamlessly.
BUT, and this is a giant one, it doesn’t last a whole work day on me. I’m not an especially oily person, but I find I start getting oily patches on my skin halfway through my work day (~5 hour mark) and it starts to break up the foundation. I’m not the only one experiencing this issue either – Steph of Fun Size Beauty also had problems with the foundation unless she powdered or touched up.
Overall, I think the UltraHD foundation is great for camera work (where touchups are constant and necessary), but I don’t feel that it’s a foundation that can last you through a work day without touchups. It’s a bit too high maintenance for me in that regard. That being said, if you’re a YouTuber or on camera a lot? Go for it – it looks and feels amazing!
2016/01/07 Edit:
I went back to using the Ultra HD foundation during the cooler months to see if maybe the wear had changed on my skin. And (thankfully!) I found that to be the case! During the fall (and now winter), I discovered that the foundation doesn’t break up on my skin like it did during the warmer months. This will last now last me a whole day without having to worry about it. So for me, this is more of a winter foundation than a summer one. I still love the weightless finish of it, so I’m really glad to be able to use this foundation on a regular basis now!
Both the liquid and stick formula are available for $50 each on Sephora.ca.
This post features press samples sent for consideration.
Aren’t we cute with our matching formula numbers? Haha!
Chelsea recently posted…MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD Foundation | Review + Swatches
I was really, REALLY surprised to see the shade difference in your post between the UltraHD and the HD!
Pretty crazy!
Chelsea recently posted…MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD Foundation | Review + Swatches
That’s too bad that it doesn’t last all day – though I’m pretty sure it was formulated with camera work in mind so it kind of makes sense too.
Jodi recently posted…Annabelle Cosmetics Autumn 2015 Launches: Brows
Yeah I’m kind of torn about its usage. I know it looks fantastic under cameras, but as someone who works in an office environment, I need it to last me all day too! Some people are down with the touchups and powdering though, so I think this would work for them. For me, I’m used to slapping on my makeup and not touching it (aside from lip colour) for the rest of the day.
I hate that about the MUFE HD foundations. They look beautiful at first but last for like 4-5 hours on me because my oily nose starts breaking it up. I wish the wear time was better but oh well! Great review!
Jenan
http://lavieenmauve-jj.blogspot.ca/
Jenan Jeha recently posted…What’s In My Z-Palette?
I’ve actually been really comforted to hear that it’s not just me with that problem! I was like awww man, everyone loves this stuff, why isn’t it lasting longer on me?!
I love how natural it looks on you! Really unfortunate it doesn’t last long though, hard to justify that kind of price tag if you have to be doing touchups by noon!
Rebekah recently posted…simple cleansing facial wipes
Well exactly. And to be honest, I don’t even bring anything to work to touch up WITH so I’m just left looking a bit greasy for the remainder of the day…
But still, great for editorial shots and whatnot.
SO happy this review popped up on my fb! I was having similar thoughts about this foundation, I really, really like it but completely agree on the length and oily factor.
I usually never have a shiny or oily day but since using this I’ve been powdering A LOT. I figured maybe it was the weather but looks like it may be the MUFE.
And 40 shades! I’m all for custom colours but wow-ie 40! Lol
The more reviews that pop up on this foundation, the more I become secure in my assessment of it. Almost EVERYONE is reporting that it breaks down after a few hours. I’m surprised, because I don’t remember people saying that about the original foundation (although I never wore it). I don’t get greasy either, so I was surprised to find myself with some shine on my face at mid day! >.<
Thank you for this review! I don’t think I’ve ever found a liquid foundation that was a perfect match for me, when I read they had 40 shades I thought “Finally! There’s gotta be one for me!” But I am super oily, and, while I’m used to blotting every 3-4 hours or so and can live with powdering once or twice, there’s no way I’d reapply in the middle of the day. 👎 Guess I’ll stick with TMs and BB creams.
No problem Inday! Although damnit, with 40 shades you’d hope the actual product would last longer. Maybe there’s hope for a fully mattifying foundation from them?
I think they have an older matte one? Never been color matched at Sephora, the one near me doesn’t have very approachable reps so I go in store as little as possible. But I think maybe those new Color FX drops may be the enticement I need to venture out again LoL
Ohhh Matte Velvet + or something? To be honest, I’m really not familiar with many of their foundations.
I’ve yet to try Cover FX’s Custom Cover drops, but I’ve heard great things!
Oooo your review pretty much has lined up with a couple I’ve read! I’ve also never tried the original so I couldn’t compare but for the heavy HEAVY price tag over here of about $80 US I can’t part with my money unless I get a small sample first.
Sharlynn Ng recently posted…Review: Little Lady Rich Black Liquid Eyeliner in 01 Black!
Yeah I’ve found that a lot of people are in line with what I had said (which is kind of relieving actually). Definitely opt for a sample! It’s such a lovely foundation on the skin, I just wish it lasted longer. 🙁
I love the HD foundation, it can last several hours on my skin, I have somewhat an oily skin but not too much, I love the pump, you can find many foundations without a pump. If you have a pump you can easily combine 2 foundations together to create a better color match for your skin
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